TPC Staff
The Palestine Chronicle / September 1, 2024
The human rights office revealed that one of the Palestinians killed on Friday is an 83-year-old man by the name of Tawfiq Ahmad Younis Qandil.
The United Nations Human Rights Office condemned on Saturday the use of “unlawful force” by the Israeli occupation army during its military operations in the West Bank and called on Tel Aviv to halt immediately its offensive in Jenin camp.
The UN organization stated that the “use of military weapons and tactics are contributing to an escalation of violence in the Occupied West Bank.”
“The use of military weapons and tactics during law enforcement give rise to grave concerns of a systematic disregard for the rights of the Palestinian population and contribute to an escalation in violence and insecurity. The only way to ensure security for Palestinians and Israelis is to end the occupation,” the statement said.
The UN office stated that the ongoing Israeli military operation in Jenin refugee camp and the neighboring areas of the city “has led apparently to unlawful killings, insecurity for Palestinian residents and enormous destruction of the camp, home to about 11,000 Palestinians.”
The Israeli occupation army has claimed the lives of at least 22 Palestinians in Jenin and the adjacent areas, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Elderly killed
The human rights office revealed that one of the Palestinians killed on Friday is an 83-year-old man by the name of Tawfiq Ahmad Younis Qandil.
“According to his family, he had gone out of his house in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin to get groceries, and was riddled with bullets, allegedly by Israeli snipers, the moment he stepped outside.” the statement read, adding:
“His family reported that they were prevented from reaching him for two hours as Israeli forces fired on anything moving in the area”.
Massive destruction
The UN office highlighted the huge destruction the area has sustained during the Israeli military operation, confirming that the Israeli occupation army has “bulldozed roads and destroyed public infrastructure on a massive scale, as well as private homes and a mosque in the eastern neighborhood of the city and Jenin camp.”
The statement stressed that the Israeli occupation army has deployed since the start of its operation in Jenin on August 28, a significant number of “armored personnel carriers, bulldozers and snipers, supported by drones and aircrafts”, while imposing a curfew on residents of the refugee camp and the surrounding areas and cutting off electricity and water.
“Residents of the camp, paramedics and UN workers report that many families are stuck in their homes without water and food, including for babies and infants,” the statement added.
The UN office quoted the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) as saying that they were able to evacuate 20 Palestinians sustaining live ammunition injuries since the start of the offensive, including an 18-month-old baby.
PRCS confirmed according to the statement that the Israeli occupation forces “shot at their ambulances at least four times” during the evacuation operation, resulting in the injury of a physician and a driver.
Arrest campaign
Moreover, the international organization revealed that they have received reports of detention, interrogation and mistreatment of young Palestinians by Israeli occupation forces.
“Israeli soldiers are rounding up dozens of young Palestinians from their homes and interrogating them, as well as subjecting them to various forms of mistreatment, including beatings and forcing them to remain in the open air for long hours without food or water,” the statement read.
“Many of those taken into custody have been reportedly taken to undisclosed locations,” it read.
The Human Rights Office said that Israel as an occupying power “is bound by the laws of occupation”, which entails ensuring the well-being and safety of Palestinian citizens citing the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which indicated that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and asked it to rapidly end it.
